Thoughts on the previous and new year

Happy New Year!

It’s customary here to wish people you’re seeing for the first time ‘Happy New Year’ even when it’s late in January.

To say that the past century two years have been hard it would be an understatement. Everyone is tired from the on going plague and the fear that surrounds it, the lockdowns, the deaths, the questions, the lack of answers, the insecurity.

My 2021 thankfully was kinder to me than 2020 (even typing the year gives me goosebumps).

I made an effort on getting back on track in 2021, keeping the blog updated, reading more, writing more, but grief works in weird ways and I stopped writing and reading altogether for months. I didn’t really start coming around and feeling better until late August, when I went on a new adventure – freediving, I started freediving 💙 – , pushed myself emotionally and physically to its limit and I came on top. I managed to find something else I love as much as books and the sea, and it helped me, gave me focus and purpose. I was lucky. I have a lovely spouse and a strong support system which helped immensely.

If you’re finding that you’re struggling to be creative, it’s okay. The extreme pressure of the pandemic over every day hurdles is overwhelming. But we have to believe that things will get better.

So this year, I’m going to set moderate goals, read plenty and focus on setting a schedule of writing and submissions. What come will come but I have to put myself out there first, right?

Be kind to yourselves this year. Take care, be careful, vaccinate.

 

 

 

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Short stories and poems I liked in April

I managed to read 31 stories in April! One day, I will start following magazines in a more organized manner, but this is not the day. For some reason, I like reading randomly, either from people that tweet their favorite stories, or someone promoting their own work, or even going in a magazine and just choose what to read based on the title (and the length. Never forget the length).

There aren’t many poems this month, because I didn’t read any. I’ll fix this as I go.

So, here are eight favourites of mine from this past month.

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Stories and Poems I liked in March

In March, I finally managed to go back to reading short stories, which has helped change my mood to the better. I didn’t have a plan in the way I chose what I read. In the following list there older stories and newer stories, same venues and same authors. Most of them are flash stories, because it was easier for me to focus for a shorter amount of time. But they are all unique and interesting.

So, there you go!

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A poetry anthology dedicated to Ursula K. Le Guin

I am lucky enough to have two of my poems be part of a wonderful poetry anthology dedicated to Ursula K. Le Guin. It’s called Climbing Lightly through Forests: A Poetry Anthology Honoring Ursula K. Le Guin and includes poems and essays inspired by Le Guin’s work from great artists all around the world. Working with the editors Lisa M. Bradley and R.B. Lemberg was a great experience.

The first poem “We dream the future in our songs” has been inspired by my favourite book of hers “The Word for World is Forest” and the second one “Time is being and being time” is an answer to her poem “Hymn to Time”

While I didn’t discover Le Guin as an author until a decade ago, her words have created a little nest in my heart I visit frequently and add to it as I read more of her work – which I do slowly, as I’m afraid of the emptiness once I won’t have another book of hers to open, like a last step on staircase that doesn’t really exist.

I believe this book covers this emptiness, approaches her work with love and care and all the ways her words have touched her readers.

 

Time is being and being

time, it is all one thing,

the shining, the seeing,

the dark abounding.

 

from Hymn to Time, by Ursula K. Le Guin

 

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Favourite Books for 2020

A little late for this post, but I had it on my drafts for a month, so, here it is. 2020 was an absolute clusterfuck but somehow, I managed to read 40 books which the majority of which I greatly enjoyed. Here is the list with my favourite books in no particular order; these are the ones that kept me company in hospital stays, long long nights and the hard weeks in between. I mean, something good had to come out from this year, right?

 

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